Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Carnival of Runners

Step right up, step right up, come on in, to the Greatest Show on Earth!

Okay, I don’t know why my mind went from carnival to the Ringling Brothers, but there you have it.

This entry, for the first time in the history of ever, is not about me.

Instead, in this second edition of the Carnival of Runners, I get to make a little map to the big information superhighway, alongside which many feet are pounding the pavement for fun, fitness, or just to have something to talk about besides the Amazing Race. (But ain’t nobody torturing a metaphor like I do.)

Anywho…

What did you do with your mother on Sunday? A nice brunch, perhaps? Or flowers and chocolates? Well, the Pink Lady, herself, came up with a much healthier option: she talked her daughter and grand-daughter into running a 5K with her, and, in the process, may have enticed two more souls to the collective. Er, sport, I mean.

Dawn’s intergenerational extravaganza sounds more fun than the inter-species attempts of others who learned the sad lesson that running with pets is overrated. Tracy dragged herself out at 5:15 am one morning only to discover this essential incompatibility: “You see, I am out for a short, fast run with a few pee stops. The Labrador, on the other hand, is out for a long, slow pee with a few jogs in between.”

The less cynical might note that Tracy and her puppy found their groove soon after. And a more charitable sort might point you towards BD1, who managed to find running nirvana in a 7 miler with his dog last month — after which he went back out and ran another 7. “Anyone who has run for any length of time knows what it feels like when you have THE AMAZING RUN,” sayeth BD1, of the experience. “It doesn't happen often enough but it happened to me today.”

So maybe I’ll put off that phone call to Cruella. Although that puppy coat would look awfully cute with my… what? Over the line?

Kim discovered that canines aren’t the only dogs in this world, when she complained to her boss of her running-induced shin splints. His reply? “Aren't you much too heavy to run?” To which I reply (far away and far after the fact), “Shut it, asshat.” Inelegant, but surprisingly effective.

Though we might not envy Kim her boss, David gives plenty to inspire our inner Tonya Harding. Following his hour-plus barefoot run on the beach, he gloats, “My legs were a little stiff but I stood in the waves drinking a bottle of water and let the waves massage my calves.”

And speaking of gloating, Jonathan is still not over his marathon, even though it was almost two weeks ago. “[12,500 feet}. Wow, that's just a little taller than Hurricane Point, a hill I had to run up when I ran the Big Sur Marathon last week. Did I mention I ran a marathon?” Umm. Yup, Jonathan, I think you may have said something about that once or twice.

That, by the way, is SO going to be me in two months.

And, just because it exists, go take a gander at this, the fictional tale of a love affair with the recently re-elected Tony Blair. In this entry, our protagonist runs a marathon, while finding time to do a little matchmaking on the side. Deliriously sane, indeed.

The internet is a lovely and amazing thing.

Happy trails, y'all.

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If you want to be included in next week's Carnival, send your submissions to running /at/ derekrose.com.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

That was fun to read! Thanks for taking the time to create the carnival (and for including me in the fun).

(BTW, asshat was too kind a word for Kim's boss.)

5:17 PM  
Blogger Reba said...

I thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful weaving...what a great carnival that was!!

5:22 PM  
Blogger Dawn - Pink Chick Tris said...

Wonderful job on the carnival write up. It's great to know who's up to what with out surfing everywhere. And doubly cool when I get mentioned - thanks. :-)

3:00 PM  

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